http://espn.go.com/ncf/bowls02/s/fiesta_angryclarett.html One of the best rbs in the country, just days before the biggest game of his life, and with a good enough head on his shoulders to really put things in perspective, and making the higher-ups at Ohio St. look like cold-hearted idiots. i think it's really refreshing to see this. unfortunately (but i hope not), like usual, we are going to hear a future statement with him retracting his statement and apologizing.
gr8-1 He said the same thing about Miami too! Thankfully his folks are in the Buckeye State! Also Mauric eis a great back but he is somewhat of a Media Hound. He loves to have the cameras on him. I don't know all the stories in this situation but I know Coach Tressel is a man of God and if Maurice wanted to goto the funeral he would have been flown in there. I suspect Maurice mentioned something to one of the coaches and didn't get a response, didn't worry about it, then after the funeral it hit him about what he missed and now he is looking for an excuse. Again I wouldn't read much into it, again it's probably Maurice trying to get more PR.
How come he couldnt just go? if it was that important to me, I really wouldnt care what anyone said? of course i dont know the circumstances.
I don't know about you, but I wouldn't want to run the risk of getting kicked off the team and/or losing a scholarship....
I read an article this morning that quoted the Ohio St officials as saying that Clarett failed to help his own cause by not filling out paperwork etc. This is from the article... Ohio State athletic director Andy Geiger claimed that wasn't the case at all. He said school officials told Clarett to fill out the proper paperwork and that he would be reimbursed after it was submitted. The paperwork was never filed, according to Geiger. "He elected not to do that or couldn't afford to do that or there wasn't anyone in his family who could do it," Geiger said. "But there is not any effort on our part to bar him from going anywhere." As usual, there are 3 sides to every story.
Exactly right, NJRocket. I find it despicable that Clarett wildly throws accusations at Ohio State's leadership when apparently the reason he could not attend the funeral was his own pathetic incompetence. This is a person who has grown accustomed of everything being done for him, and evidently is incapable of even the most menial of tasks. No sympathy here for him.
What did he want Ohio State to do? Pay for his flight or charter a plane? Ohio State clearly did the correct thing. Why risk probation?
The NCAA has a special assistance fund (not sure if that is the exact name) that pays for travel expenses to go home for funerals, so there wouldn't have been any action taken against Ohio State for him flying home. On a side note, that's a pretty weak excuse for Clarett not wanting to go to Miami or UT...Fear of flying?? I suppose he thought that the school would take buses to road games and bowl games...Just wait until he gets to the NFL and has to fly (GASP!) about 20 to 24 times per year!! p***y
I would assume that the fund would only fly you out for immediate family members. A line has to be drawn somewhere so it probably doesn't extend to friends. It's probably similar to the airlines policy.
Clarett ought to shut up and play ball. This is really lame. He could have gone home if he really wanted too... sounds like he was either too lazy to do the work himself, forgot about it, or didn't know how. Blaming the university is weak.
Clarett was asked by a reporter (I am watching it live on espnnews now) if this could have been a misunderstanding. He said nah, they just want to make me look stupid or something. Then they asked why would they do that to their best player. He said because the program is bigger than the player. Overall, he is saying that he DID fill out all the paperwork necessary and that Ohio St is trying to make themselves look good. If he is telling the truth, he should get copies of the paperwork that he sent in and really make it public how Ohio St handled this. If he is lieing, then I think it says a lot about this guys commitment to his university (who is paying for his education) and his teammates days before the biggest game of his (and some of his teammates) lives.
Like all Athletes . .. right? Play ball. . and say nothing don't talk . .don't do anything to remind us that you are a human being just be an machine there for our amusement and nothing else I mean d*mn . . the Gall of this guy Clarett . . . actually having feelings [right or wrong] and expressing them Rocket River
Yeah, that's exactly what I said. Funny how someone can take a few simple words and extricate a new meaning out of them. The guy should be focusing on the Fiesta Bowl right now. Sure its sad that he lost a close friend to an untimely death. Do your mourning and when you're ready... prep for the game. Of course life is more important than the game... but he has teammates to think of who are counting on him, not to mention an entire university consisting of tens of thousands of students, faculty, and alumni. But what's the point of bringing additional controversy to the school that pays for your education, housing, and food... especially if you might be at fault as well.
I don't know if he filled the paperwork out or not, but the other half of the equation is that he needed to pay for a plane ticket himself. I can believe that he doesn't have the cash to pay for a ticket, reading about the neighborhood he's from it doesn't seem far fetched at all. Still, how can an athlete in his position not have a credit card? Also, scholarships usually are for more than the actual cost of school, shouldn't this guy have some extra cash that rolled over in the form of a refund or something. Anyways, I lay the blame on the NCAA for making life way too complicated for these guys.
I wonder if you feel the same way about the Lady that blew the whistle on Enron? Rocket River Just because someone butters ya bread. . .doesn't mean you have to kiss their *ss
